A former New Jersey priest, removed from the ministry after being convicted of a sexual offense, was charged Wednesday in Syracuse after living here for the past nine years without registering his change of address, police said.

Timothy Pisik, 59, of 216 Village Drive, Apt. 3, was cited for failure to register an out-of-state address change, which is a misdemeanor, Lt. Joe Cecile said. Sex offenders must inform probation officers when they move.

Police were tipped off by an employee with the Atlantic County, N.J., prosecutor's office. Ken Buchman registers and monitors sex offenders and discovered an open file on Pisik.

Buchman discovered an Internet article from a Philadelphia newspaper concerning the whereabouts of priests who had been through a rehabilitation program in Pennsylvania, police reports said.

The Catholic diocese sent Pisik to that program after his conviction, the police report said. Syracuse police had no information Thursday on the exact charge Pisik was convicted of.

Buchman discovered Pisik is now a licensed driver in New York state, located his address, then notified city police, according to the reports.

Syracuse police Officer Jennifer Hardwich contacted Pisik, who said he thought the Atlantic County prosecutors knew where he was. He said he moved to Syracuse in June 1997.

The Police Department contacted the state Division of Criminal Justice Services about the address change.